The British Institute at Ankara (BIAA), formerly British Institute of Archaeology at Ankara, is a research institute that supports, promotes, and publishes research into the humanities and social sciences of Turkey and the Black Sea region. The institute was founded in 1947 and became legally incorporated in 1956 as part of a cultural agreement between the Republic of Turkey and the United Kingdom. The institute is a UK registered charity and part of the

British Academy The British Academy for the Promotion of Historical, Philosophical and Philological Studies is the United Kingdom's national academy for the humanities and the social sciences. It was established in 1902 and received its royal charter in the sa ...

's Overseas Institutes. The institute has an office in based in

Ankara Ankara is the capital city of Turkey and List of national capitals by area, the largest capital by area in the world. Located in the Central Anatolia Region, central part of Anatolia, the city has a population of 5,290,822 in its urban center ( ...

, where it maintains a library, research facilities, and accommodation for visiting scholars. It also has a London office. Archaeologist Lutgarde Vandeput is the current director of the BIAA. In addition to funding the publication of research monographs on archaeology and the history of Turkey, the institute regularly publishes the journal '' Anatolian Studies'' and the annual magazine ''

Heritage Turkey A heritage turkey is one of a variety of strains of domestic turkey which retains historic characteristics that are no longer present in the majority of turkeys raised for consumption since the mid-20th century. Heritage turkeys can be different ...

''. By the decision of the Turkish government, all scholars from the United Kingdom wishing to do archeological research in Turkey must channel their permit applications through the British Institute in Ankara.

History

The BIAA was founded on 22 November 1947 after proposals by the British archaeologist

John Garstang John Garstang (5 May 1876 – 12 September 1956) was a British archaeologist of the Ancient Near East, especially Egypt, Sudan, Anatolia and the southern Levant. He was the younger brother of Professor Walter Garstang, FRS, a marine biol ...

, who became the institute's first director. He was instrumental in choosing Ankara as the location of the new institute, in contrast to similar existing organizations that were based in

Istanbul Istanbul is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, largest city in Turkey, constituting the country's economic, cultural, and historical heart. With Demographics of Istanbul, a population over , it is home to 18% of the Demographics ...

. Other founding members included the archaeologist and museum curator

Winifred Lamb Winifred Lamb (3 November 1894 – 16 September 1963) was a British archaeologist, art historian, and museum curator who specialised in Greek, Roman, and Anatolian cultures and artefacts. The bulk of her career was spent as the honorary keeper ...

, who served as honorary secretary from the organisation's foundation until 1956, whereupon she became vice-president. The institute's journal, Anatolian Studies, was first published in 1951, becoming a key reference for all archaeology-related disciplines in the region. Seton Lloyd succeeded Garstang as director in 1949, In 1961,

Michael Gough Francis Michael Gough ( ; 23 November 1916 – 17 March 2011) was a British actor who made more than 150 film and television appearances. He is known for his roles in the Hammer horror films from 1958, with his first role as Sir Arthur Holmwoo ...

became the institute's third director. He had a focus on the

Byzantine period The Byzantine Empire, also known as the Eastern Roman Empire, was the continuation of the Roman Empire centred on Constantinople during late antiquity and the Middle Ages. Having survived History of the Roman Empire, the events that caused the ...

, with excavations at the church complex at Alahan and at Dağ Pazarı.

James Mellaart James Mellaart FBA (14 November 1925 – 29 July 2012) was a British and Dutch archaeologist and author who is noted for his discovery of the Neolithic settlement of Çatalhöyük in Turkey. He was expelled from Turkey when he was suspected o ...

, as assistant director from 1957 to 1961, started excavations at the site of

Çatalhöyük Çatalhöyük (English: Chatalhoyuk ; ; also ''Çatal Höyük'' and ''Çatal Hüyük''; from Turkish language, Turkish ''çatal'' "fork" + ''höyük'' "tumulus") is a Tell (archaeology), tell (a mounded accretion resulting from long-term huma ...

, identifying it as a unique Neolithic settlement. David French became the institute's fourth director in 1968. In 1993 French retired and in 1995 Roger Mathews became the 5th director. Hugh Elton, who was appointed as the director in 2001, changed the name of the British Institute of Archaeology to British Institute. The current director is Lutgarde Vandeput, who became director in 2006. British archaeologist Shahina Farid is honorary secretary.

Heritage Turkey

''Heritage Turkey'' is an annual magazine-type publication containing reports of research projects supported by the British Institute at Ankara. Short articles are written by project directors and scholars. ''Heritage Turkey'', which was first published in 2011, features articles mostly on archaeological excavations in

Anatolia Anatolia (), also known as Asia Minor, is a peninsula in West Asia that makes up the majority of the land area of Turkey. It is the westernmost protrusion of Asia and is geographically bounded by the Mediterranean Sea to the south, the Aegean ...

. It is a continuation of the '' Anatolian Studies'' journal published by the British Institute at Ankara and

Cambridge University Press Cambridge University Press was the university press of the University of Cambridge. Granted a letters patent by King Henry VIII in 1534, it was the oldest university press in the world. Cambridge University Press merged with Cambridge Assessme ...

. ''Heritage Turkeys first volume was published in 2011 and Volume 12 was published in 2022. The online version of ''Heritage Turkey'' can be accessed from the website of the British Institute of Archeology in Ankara.

References

External links

Heritage Turkey
{{Authority control British overseas research institutes Archaeological organizations